Tales from the Subway - The Ballin' Panhandler

If you've lived in or visited New York, you have definitely encountered people living on the street. Unless you have a heart two sizes too small, you probably felt great compassion for the hundreds of homeless men and women who request donations across the city. Today's entry is not about the many panhandlers who have mental and/or physical disabilities or life challenges which make securing traditional employment opportunities difficult. This blog is about and able-bodied hustler.



A few weeks ago, I hopped on the "F" train heading toward downtown during the lunch hour. At the Rockefeller Center stop, a casually dressed man stepped on the train counting a wad of cash easily amounting to $50 worth of singles. He tucked the money in his pocket as he finished up a conversation on his cell phone and the subway doors closed. Then the speech started. You could have bought me with a dime, because I was astonished that he was giving the "can you spare some change" speech when he had more cash on him than I typically carry. Furthermore, he started it by saying, "I'm not going to take up much of your time today, because I have a cold. You know me, I'm on the train every morning." Suddenly he stopped to check the time on his cell phone. Then continued, "If you have any spare change to help a person in need, I would greatly appreciate it." He closed out with, "I'll see you tomorrow."



What!!?? Was this guy serious? I'm not saying that $50 and a cell phone suggests a person is wealthy, but this guy certainly didn't need my money. In that moment, I thought back to a lesson my high school history teacher, Mr. Kovak taught us in the 11th grade. This poor soul was in charge of leading a group of country kids on a tour of the northeast. Our first stop was New York and in preparation for this grand event, he told us the rules of the trip. Interestingly, his first rule was not "don't stray from the group" or "don't go to the 8th Ave peep shows" it was "don't give money to people on the street." He then created a math problem which demonstrated how much money a person could make just sitting out on the street, even if they only got a penny from each passerby. The amount was far and above what I expect he made each year.

As harsh as it seemed at the time, Mr. Kovak's lesson was not about being stingy or heartless, it was about being discerning. Because he knew we were only a few steps from having the word "sucker" tattooed on our foreheads, he saved us the trouble of trying to figure out who was really in need and who was working the streets or the trains as the case may be!